Best of 2010: WWE’s 15 Top Matches of the Year

I recently saw that WWE put out their own list of the 25 greatest matches in the year 2010. However I saw that a lot of their matches on the list were unimpressive in my mind. Here is my list of the 15 best matches this year with some that they did not mention. To be on this list, not only did the match have to be good but it had to have an impact on the landscape itself this year.

15) Chris Jericho Vs Goldust: WWE Superstars

Never in my wildest dreams would I believe that a match from Superstars would make it onto this list, but I was convinced. The list WWE put together actually turned me onto this match that I had forgotten about. This was back during a time where champions, world champions in this situation, were actually seen on Superstars. Now, seeing anyone outside of the Yoshi Tatsu/Tyler Reks/Zack Ryder stratosphere is a treat. This match is fantastic and made Goldust as strong as he would be if booking didn't force him to help make the youngsters look better.

14) CM Punk Vs John Cena: RAW Viewer's Choice

This will always be remembered as the debut of Nexus, but the match beforehand was actually a good one. It seems like they may possibly tie this match in with the CM Punk/John Cena feud brewing. If that is the case, it would be nice to revisit this main event match that had two men in their storyline peaks earlier this year.

13) RAW Elimination Chamber Match

It seems like Legacy was so long ago but it was in this match that the cracks began to develop. We all thought that Ted DiBiase, much like Randy Orton, would have his meteoric rise defined within the match. That wasn't the case but this match was great. Kofi Kingston got into the chamber this year, which was an improvement. Kingston was put into some incredible spots, including having his face put inside of the rungs of the cage.

12) Royal Rumble Match

A Royal Rumble match is typically in the top 15 matches of the year and this year was no different. Beth Phoenix entered the Rumble and eliminated The Great Khali. CM Punk eliminated people in between parts of a public service announcement. Shawn Michaels nearly won in his pursuit to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Edge returned and won the ticket to WrestleMania. It had everything that your classic Rumble match delivers with.

11) Shawn Michaels Vs Rey Mysterio: Smackdown

Just days before that Royal Rumble match, Shawn Michaels was at Smackdown because he was one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions. Wanting to prove that he should face The Undertaker, he had a fantastic match against Rey Mysterio.

10) Team RAW Vs Nexus: SummerSlam

We all saw the hype that this match brought before even finding out all the true members of Team RAW. The camera on RAW literally shook from the hype. Eventually, the inclusion of Daniel Bryan made sense and it went over with much appreciation from the WWE Universe. I still think that Nexus should have been built better because they have never looked weaker as they do now. This match was the last time that they seemed strong as a unit.

9) Sheamus Vs John Morrison: RAW

This was an insane match that began what may be the best rivalry of 2010. John Morrison's hype of using parkour to train came out of nowhere but it has been his lightning rod. He will end 2010 as the number one contender to a world championship.

8) Fatal 4-Way United States Championship Match: RAW

Forget about the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view. It was the U.S. Championship match on RAW before the event that overshadows all of those matches. Zack Ryder actually looked strong, R-Truth was wrestling the best he had since coming back to WWE, John Morrison's moves stole the show and The Miz stole the championship for his second reign.

7) Chris Jericho Vs Daniel Bryan: WWE NXT

We all wondered what NXT would have in store for us. If this is the only great match we will ever see from the show that is now relegated to the Internet, then so be it. Jericho was World Heavyweight Champion at the time and this loss led to Daniel Bryan's losing streak and his quick removal from the competition. This was far and away the best match of NXT and one of the best matches Daniel Bryan has ever had.

6) Smackdown Money In The Bank Match

Forget the RAW ladder match. This was the one that made Money in the Bank a watchable pay-per-view. The gigantic ladder built for Big Show may have been gimmicky but it helped make this one unique. All of the ladders on Big Show was a great way to take him out. Matt Hardy and Christian did not look like weak veterans among the youngsters in the match. However it was the other veteran, Kane, who used the opportunity to have the world championship run that he was always entitled to.

5) John Cena Vs Batista: Over The Limit

I hated the Last Man Standing match between these two, especially when I saw the duct tape and called it being used. The "I Quit" match and John Cena do not mix. Don't expect him to ever lose one of those matches. We all knew Batista was on his way out also. However, they let him leave with a strong showing. If Over The Limit doesn't have another impactful moment, the sight of Batista going through the stage was good enough for me. Also, the theme of the event was awesome. It's still my ringtone.

4) Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match

Not even The Undertaker suffering from burns by his own pyro stopped this match from being great. CM Punk was about as heel as it gets in this match, while Jericho looked as good as he ever has. Shawn Michaels entering the chamber was shocking, but it only made sense to have Jericho with the belt and take on Edge at WrestleMania.

By the way, Edge vs Jericho at WM is not on this list. I'll expect comments about it, but I thought it was just a solid match that had all of its hype too vested in the post-match spot with Edge spearing Jericho.

3) Daniel Bryan Vs Dolph Ziggler: Bragging Rights

What isn't to love about seeing the two mid-card champions battle for just what the pay-per-view is named for: bragging rights? For a match that literally had nothing on the line, this was just spectacular. It was hard to match the intensity of Ziggler and Bryan, who tore the house down with nonstop action. I would love to see something like it at WrestleMania.

2) Sheamus Vs John Morrison: WWE TLC

This may have just occurred but this was easily one of the best matches this year. I said it in my last article about how it stole a lot of spots from Christian vs Shelton Benjamin from the year before. However, nobody really knew where this match was going. It was unclear who was actually going to win. It was the rare unpredictable in a pretty predictable WWE.

1) Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels: WrestleMania 26

What can you say about the match that hasn't been said already? While the first encounter the year before was better, it was still great. There were too many random ways of winning that were taken off, which almost mapped out the way the match would go for the fans watching on. In the end, there was no match that better exemplified the effort these superstars give us for our entertainment. I still remember watching Undertaker try to carry Shawn Michaels while having visible pain in his knee.